Saving The Future Creatively

As the Native American proverb goes, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” And never has the future of our planet been under greater threat.

According to a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), emissions of C02 caused by humans must fall 45% from levels in 2010 by 2030 and reach ‘net-zero’ by 2050 to limit cataclysmic climate change. 

At a time of such crisis, brands and manufacturers seeking to limit their carbon footprint and actively work towards sustainability are applauded. Step forward, the Sustainable Development Goals Lions. Introduced in 2018, the Sustainable Development Goals Lions celebrate creative problem-solving, solutions or initiatives that harness creativity and seek to positively impact the world.

Parley Ocean Plastic® Sustainable Development Goals Lions Trophy

Entries to the Sustainable Development Goals need to demonstrate how they contributed to, or advanced the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development across people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnerships. A number of criteria are considered during judging and weighted as follows: 20% idea; 20% strategy; 20% execution; 40% impact and results.

In 2020 the Sustainable Development Goals Lions attracted the widest field of entrants and postponement, due to the pandemic, meant the 2021 event grew, with two years’ worth of inspiring work being judged in one. In this category alone, there were an admirable 736 entries from around the world. 736 teams going above and beyond to turn the tide on global issues. Now that’s what I call using creativity for good.

This year, Cannes Lions has partnered with Parley for the Oceans to make the iconic Sustainable Development Goals Lion trophies out of Parley Ocean Plastic® derived from reclaimed fishing nets. This powerful partnership sets the stage for a new vision - conscious, kind and responsible work.

This is work such as Doconomy’s, The 2030 Calculator. Doconomy, from Doconomy, Stockholm / FARM, Stockholm, Sweden took home the coveted Grand Prix at this years’ Cannes Lions Live.

The 2030 Calculator is an intuitive carbon footprint calculator which ‘radically simplifies the process of calculating a product's carbon footprint by eliminating all previous hurdles.’ It’s a reliable and simple tool for responsible brands to play their part in creating a greener, more sustainable future.

Jury President, Eduardo Maruri, VP Global Creative Board & President/CEO Europe, Grey Worldwide, said, “It matched every single criteria that we as a jury agreed at the beginning: scalable, touches multiple Sustainable Development Goals and is a solution not an awareness problem. I think The Doconomy Calculator has the potential to actually change the world.”

THE 2030 CALCULATOR | DOCONOMY STOCKHOLM | SWEDEN | SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS GRAND PRIX, 2021

Cyrill Gutsch, founder & CEO of Parley for the Oceans agrees: “We, the creative community, have put our skills in the service of exploitative and destructive business practices for too long. It’s time to step out of our self-created, fictional bubble and own the responsibility for the reality we are forming through our work, every day. It’s the creatives who can own this challenge, to live and act with the understanding that it’s our own future, our own survival at stake.”

In 2020, we founded the LIONS Membership in close collaboration with WeTransfer with the aim to bring a sense of togetherness across the global creative community whilst inspiring all the best in creative work.

With the return of the global creative benchmark at Cannes Lions Live, we worked with WeTransfer to celebrate the Sustainable Development Goals Lions by shining a light on the Grand Prix winners.

As a B Corporation, WeTransfer is committed to continue to balance people, planet and profit, hence its decision to become involved with the Sustainable Development Goals Lions and further highlight the remarkable and groundbreaking work of Doconomy via a global wallpaper campaign valued at $100K.

In the words of WeTransfer’s Chief Advertising Officer, Natascha Chamuleau: “I’m really excited to see more clients approaching us because they’re learning about our B Corp certification, and how we aim to find the right balance between people, planet, and profit. Advertising is designed to influence behaviour, and there’s a real shift in mindset to use that influence for good. Supporting the work Johan and Mathias are doing in the space of consumer education is an important step in the right direction.”

WeTransfer The 2030 Calculator by Doconomy wallpaper

WeTransfer spoke directly with the 2030 Calculator’s co-creator Johan Phil on Duconomy’s ambitions for its impact. To read more about WeTransfer’s involvement with the Sustainable Development Goals Lions and Johan’s thoughts, click here.

The Sustainable Development Goals Lions were created with a vision of a greener future and forward-thinking brands such as Doconomy are paving the way for others to think outside the box for a sustainable way of life.

Doconomy has showcased that sustainability can be simple and that measured and mindful changes in everyone from large corporations all the way to the individual are what will shift crisis to climate-friendly using creativity.

Now is the time to not just look to our future’s but to our children’s and our children’s children’s future.